Ancient Mystery Fiction

Roma, 49 a. C. A la luz de la luna, una mujer con el rostro surcado por el tiempo, pero aún intacto en su belleza innata, sostiene una carta entre sus manos. La caligrafía no da lugar a dudas: sabe que se trata del amante a quien ha acompañado siempre, en sus momentos de gloria, pero también en los más vulnerables: Cayo Julio César. La República se tambalea, y la misiva tampoco es un buen augurio. César le explica a su querida Servilia que ha decidido cruzar las fronteras sagradas y franquear el río Rubicón.

101 A.D. Emperor Trajan, the heralded new Caesar of the Roman Empire, seeks to reverse 15 years of humiliating losses for Rome in wars against Dacia and its brilliant military leader King Decebal. To punish Dacia and Decebal, Trajan launches an invasion of Dacia with the largest army ever assembled in the history of Rome.

85 A.D. The Roman Empire expanded its conquered territories north to the Danube River. One kingdom is still a serious threat – the third most powerful military power in Europe and the richest nation in the region. That nation is Dacia, led by its young and brilliant military leader King Decebal.

Craig Henriksen and Danny Walsh: two contemporary warriors in a struggle they barely understand. Despite the losses they've endured at his hands, they draw closer to the enemy and learn more about his nature and goals. Craig and Danny have become important targets.

From the palaces of Alexandria reigns Cleopatra – seventh of her name, avatar of the goddess Isis, ruler of the Kingdom of Egypt – surrounded by riches untold. Through the streets of her great city bustle scholars and sailors, politicians and priests. For those with the means, it is a comfortable life. But not all are invited to share in the wealth of Egypt's first city. When Herminia, one of Alexandria's most beloved actresses, disappears on the eve of a great performance, Cleopatra sets Tetisheri, her Eye, to investigate.

Alexandria, 47BC. Cleopatra – seventh of her name, avatar of the goddess Isis, ruler of the Kingdom of Egypt – watches over her city. The war is over, but Alexandria has suffered in its wake. Caesar has returned to Rome, and the queen must restore her city and her kingdom to their former greatness. But now a body has been found floating upright at the bottom of the sea, anchored by a weight around its feet. It's the second corpse to be found this way, and with a city to rebuild and a kingdom to keep in line, Cleopatra cannot allow any more murders to interfere.

Queen Angelique is caught in a quandary. She has ruled The Black Land since the death of her husband, the pharaoh. She defied tradition by refusing to name her son Penaware as the next pharaoh, even though everyone knows he was too young and immature to rule. Time is running out. Prince Penaware’s approaching birthday means he’ll come of age soon. The nation and the powerful priests who strongly influence it expect Angelique to proclaim Penaware the new pharaoh. But there’s another option. She could break tradition once more and claim the title of pharaoh for herself.

Once there was a time when Romagna was named Flaminia and the Rubicon was not only a river. When Julius Caesar arrived in 49 BCE, he found waiting for him a wooden palisade colored ruby red where he deployed his legions for several months on that border defended by the legionaries of Pompey. But who built, even before Caesar was born, and for what reason was a red line of defense built stretching out to the sea, and what would Caesar and his legions do to breach it?

Despite his situation, Paaten believes his future is not in the enemy land of Hatti. As Paaten struggles to find his way back to his homeland of Egypt, he finds himself in an unforeseen battle, waging the biggest war yet: that of his heart. Will Paaten's perceived enemy ensnare his love and loyalty, or will he return to Egypt to fulfill his destiny and oath to pharaoh?

Un Aníbal ya maduro supera los recelos de sus enemigos en el Senado de Cartago y se prepara para derrotar por fin a Roma. Para ello, se apodera de gran parte de Isphanya (península Ibérica en lengua púnica) y hace suyas las riquezas y el espíritu de sus guerreros. Durante esas campañas militares adiestra a su ejército y lo convierte en una máquina de combate homogénea a pesar de estar formado por decenas de etnias distintas y mercenarios.

Rom, 95 nach Christus: Durch Zufall gerät der reiche Bürger Decimus Junius Juvenalis an die Leiche eines Unbekannten. Bei der Suche nach dem Mörder findet Decimus sich plötzlich im Netz der Intrigen des tyrannischen Kaisers Domitian wieder. Auf seiner Flucht vor den Schergen des Kaisers taucht er in die Unterwelt Roms ein, flieht bis nach Pompeji und endet schließlich in der schroffen Felswüste Qumrans, beim toten Meer. Dort findet er in der Bibliothek der Essener uralte Papyrusrollen, die ein großes Geheimnis bergen.

Caesar and Brutus. Marius and Sulla. Cicero, Antony, Clodius, and Augustus. The end of the Roman Republic gave us a host of larger-than-life characters hailing from Rome. Only one was named Great. In the year 90 B.C.E., chaos and unrest erupts across the Italian peninsula. Rome's allies have rebelled and taken up arms against the most powerful military on Earth. Leading Rome's legions - and his only son - to the city's defense, an unproven and unloved commander will taste victory and defeat outside the capital's gates.

Britannia, anno 305 dopo Cristo. È un autunno ventoso quello che accoglie Elio Sparziano ai piedi del Vallo di Adriano, l'ultimo sistema di difesa dell'impero romano contro le tribù della Scozia. L'incarico di Elio - ottimo soldato ma spirito libero - ha il sapore di un castigo per la sua indipendenza, giacché dovrà solo ispezionare i forti del Vallo; un lavoro più da burocrate che da uomo d'azione. Eppure la sua missione si complica di colpo alla notizia di una strage: un gruppo di barbari ha infatti trucidato un'intera guarnigione.

Si chiama Agnus, ma per i cristiani è la "Voce del fuoco". Vagabonda nelle province dell'Impero romano e compie prodigi sovrannaturali: risana ciechi, resuscita morti. Eppure, quando Marco Lupo, gestore di un mattonificio a Confluentes, muore per la seconda volta pochi giorni dopo la sua "resurrezione", l'inviato imperiale Elio Sparziano comincia a sospettare che dietro quei miracoli possa nascondersi qualcosa di assai più terreno.

I confini orientali dell'Impero sono minacciati da un personaggio misterioso quanto terribile: Ter Vishap, il Signore dei Draghi che domina con il terrore quelle remote regioni e a cui la credulità popolare attribuisce poteri sovrannaturali. Elio Sparziano è inviato a fare chiarezza, ma la sua missione, ancora prima di iniziare, si tinge di sangue: Sanazar, il mercante persiano che avrebbe dovuto fare da intermediario, muore in un incidente forse troppo provvidenziale.

Elio Sparziano, ufficiale e storico, viene inviato da Diocleziano in Egitto per vigilare sul rispetto degli editti imperiali e per raccogliere informazioni utili a scrivere una biografia dell'imperatore Adriano, morto da quasi duecento anni. La sua indagine assume però contorni inediti, ed estremamente attuali, quando viene a sapere che le prove di una cospirazione ai danni di Roma si celerebbero nel leggendario sepolcro di Antinoo, il favorito di Adriano annegato nel Nilo giovanissimo in circostanze mai chiarite (incidente? Omicidio? Rito sacrificale?).

AD 173. The Danube lies frozen. On its banks gather the clans of Sarmatia, their riders winter starved by sickly herds and blighted crops. Petty feuds cast aside and their disparate numbers united in the face of a great enemy. For across the frozen waters stands the mighty Roman Empire, and its Legion marches ever closer.

Ehli-nikkalu, eldest daughter of the Hittite emperor, is married to a mere vassal of her father's. But despite her status, her foreignness and inability to produce an heir drive a wedge between her and the court that surrounds her. When her secretary is mysteriously murdered while carrying the emperor a message that would indict the loyalty of his vassal, Ehli-nikkalu adopts the dead man's orphaned children out of a guilty sense of responsibility.

Nell Valenti is settling into her role of transforming the Villa Orlandini into a superb farm-to-table cooking school, and the time has finally come for a full taste test run. But when Chef Orlandini prepares to reveal his top secret marinara recipe for the first time to a group of American gastro-tourists, Nell realizes she might have bitten off more than she can chew.

In a city where belief means everything, putting your faith in the wrong person can get you killed. Two Arkana agents are sent to Jerusalem on a standard artifact retrieval mission. What could possibly go wrong? Absolutely everything.